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Here’s a post which came about by accident. Surprisingly, several people asked me to re-post the videos as a language learning exercise.

Thus I’m re-posting an “edited” (censored) version of a video which I took down soon after posting it.

Even though it was meant to be funny when I initially posted it, I had second thoughts about it, and thus took it down several hours later (you’ll understand when you see it). I usually do not swear like this (I get visions of my mom swatting me — childhood trauma! Oh Oh… here come the convulsions again!)

But I’m comfortable re-posting the video in a censored format — so just go with it.

Here is what happened:

I made a last minute trip to Montréal a few days ago (a 600 kilometre drive from Toronto). I drove there.

Half way to Montréal, I realized that I forgot my laptop charger in Toronto. However, it was too late for me to turn around to get it.

I recorded and posted the following English video when I realized I forgot my charger.

The problem was that I needed my laptop for work in Montréal.

However, I thought that a Lenovo charger cord would be easy enough for me to find and purchase in Montréal upon arrival.

It was actually very important that I find a charger quickly because all my work information and data was in my computer, and I had no battery power left. I could not do my work without it.

However, to my astonishment, no computer stores in Montréal carried the correct computer charger for my Lenovo laptop.

After several visits to computer shops and more than a dozen phone calls to various places, I was told that my model of Lenovo was an odd-ball for which nobody carried chargers, unless I were to order it as a special item. (Apparently Lenovo experimented with a very strange type of new charger for several months, and then abandoned their experiment… and thus I was out of luck!).

Half frustrated, and half mocking the situation, I posted the following video. It was meant to be funny. But owing to the frustration involved with not being able to do my work while in Montréal, I let rip a couple of versus of poetry.

I took the following video down several hours after posting it. I mean, who wants to “dumb-down” their blog? Thus, sober second thought told me that perhaps I shouldn’t post such crass.

But then to my surprise…

But then I started to receive emails from readers — one after another — asking me where the video went (Seriously people? Really? Well… if it helps your French, hey, why not? I’m game!)

People across the country were telling me the video was a great way to learn hard-core street-talk French that you do not hear on television or the radio. (Again, seriously? It was like only 2 minutes! – not even!)

I was being repeatedly asked to re-post the video with a transcript in French and English. So I did better! I made closed captions (Joual + Colloquial French). Man… such talent!.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by the emails. I am reposting it in response to the requests.

Here it is (with the more hard-core swear words bleeped out).

Word of warning… Don’t take the video too serious! (And don’t tell my Mom! I’m scared of wooden spoons!!) After all, I actually think that Lenovo is a great brand of computer, and I would recommend it to anyone. It just so happened that I was unfortunate to have bought a somewhat “special edition” with a limited edition style of charger.

P.S. Yes, that’s my Prairie French (rural Alberta French) accent. It has a number of similarities with some rural Québec accents in eastern regions of Québec and parts of the North Coast. You can find more information about Prairie French accents and others in the following posts: